Football Preview: Young team at Archbishop Hannan seeks to grow up early

In his second stint as the head coach at Archbishop Hannan, Corey Bordelon is determined to make this stay a much longer one.

Back in 2005, Bordelon was the head coach at the school, then located in Meraux when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the campus.

Bordelon stayed and coached the team in 2006 with only 18 players on hand in a new location on the north shore.

Bordelon departed to become a top assistant at Jesuit in 2007 before becoming head coach at De La Salle at De La Salle from 2009-11. Bordelon has also coached at Northshore, Mandeville and Holy Cross.

In recent years, the Hawks reached a state championship game in 2013 and got to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.

Last year in the pandemic abbreviated season, Hannan went 6-3 overall and won its district championship. The Hawks defeated St. Michael before losing a tough 16-13 contest to E.D. White Catholic in the quarterfinals.

“The restraints were a pain but the kids and the families made it so much fun but that senior class was great,” Bordelon said. “The normal issues were difficult but our kids handled it well. Of course, if you are winning, it is easier to navigate such circumstances.”

The challenge in 2021 is different than the pandemic challenge of a year ago. Archbishop Hannan must replace 16 starters from the 2020 team.

“We are going back and forth trying to see who fits best where,” Bordelon said. “We will find the best 22 players and get them on the field, regardless of positions. That is how we looked at it last year and that is what we are going to do this year.”

There are key players to replace, including running back Jake Dalmado and linebacker Wyatt Coffey.

The Hawks return five players on offense.

Perhaps the biggest question mark is at quarterback, where Cory Robinson has graduated as well and the competition to replace him leaves the starting spot undecided entering the summer.

“It is an open competition,” Bordelon said. “We have two young men competing right now.

At running back, senior Mckaden Thompson (5-10, 195) and junior Josh Alonzo (6-0, 195) will step into the void left by Dalmado. Thompson doubles as an excellent punter for the Hawks.

“It will be difficult replacing a three-year player in Dalmado,” Bordelon said. “We expect Alonzo to carry the load. Jake got a little time at running back last year and he started three games at wide receiver for us last year. He is a good athlete that you can move around. He had three catches against Jewel Sumner last year.”

The top receiver returning is junior Billy Colomb (5-10, 190), who caught 12 passes for 146 yards a year ago. Senior Peyton Allen (5-9, 155) is a returning starter as well while junior Taj Wood (5-10, 155) will join the experienced duo.

“Columb started as a sophomore and led us in receiving,” Bordelon said. “Allen started as well and that gives us good experience on the outside which will help our quarterback.”

The offensive line will be a strength with three starters returning, including senior Jason Guy (5-8, 195), junior Beau Armstrong (6-0, 215), who will anchor the unit and sophomore left guard Will Gallien (6-0, 265). The other starters are expected to be sophomore Cole Piot (5-10, 220) and senior Aiden Ponthieux (6-0, 240).

“Gallien started as a freshman, Armstrong started as a sophomore and Guy as a junior,” Bordelon said. “Armstrong is a leader, plays tough and is 100 miles an hour on every play. Gallien was the strongest player on the team as a freshman. Guy has a great motor and we like his effort from start to finish.”

The defense must replace a host of players but has promise.

Sophomore Cortez Brown (5-8, 170) is a good athlete who will play up front and could see time at running back on offense. Senior Jacob Vitter (6-2, 300) provides great size while junior Caden Fontenot (5-10, 185) is expected to be the third starter.

“We have to replace all three starters up front,” Bordelon said. “It will be a challenge but there is ability there.”

At linebacker, senior Grayson Pennison (5-8, 170) returns after recording 90 tackles last year. Junior Wade Rist (6-0, 200) is expected to be a standout as well while the third linebacker starting spot remains open.

“We feel our linebackers are a strength,” Bordelon said. “Rist is the brother of Patrick Rist, who was a two-time all-district player for us. We have good strikers at the position.”

The secondary could be the strength of the defense, led by returning starters in safeties Taylor Macdonald (5-9, 165) and Braden Neal (6-1, 185). Another player expected to be a key contributor is freshman Brennon Obey (5-9, 165).

“McDonald can play in all three phases of the game,” Bordelon said. “He is a two-year letterman. Neal is a good looking player who will handle free safety duties for us. We feel good about our deep area.”

Hannan has a real advantage in the kicking game with a pair of all-state kickers returning.

Thompson averaged an amazing 46 yards per punt in 2020 while junior James Pham converted 75 percent of his field goal attempts and 96 percent of his extra points last season.

“The kicking game is the strength of our team. Special teams coordinator Mike Perniciaro does a great job for us. Thompson and Pham are simply superb. We can really flip the field and win field position consistently with these guys.”

Hannan opens the season at Chalmette before hosting E.D. White in a rematch of last season’s quarterfinal contest. The Hawks then travel to Ascension Catholic before hosting Pearl River. The Hawks face St. Thomas Aquinas in week five at Strawberry Stadium.

Homecoming follows against Northlake Christian before District 8-3A play begins at Bogalusa. Week eight has the Hawks hosting Jewel Sumner. The regular season concludes with a road game at Loranger before a home game with Albany.

“We have stepped down a little bit in scheduling this year with a younger team,” Bordelon said. “We feel it is a competitive schedule. The district will be tough with Sumner and Albany returning a lot of players. Bogalusa will be a different team with Cyril Crutchfield now at the helm. Coach Messina has done an excellent job at Loranger for a long time. We expect it to be very difficult.”

The key to the overall success of the season for Archbishop Hannan will be how early a group but talented group of players matures.

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